Heater



Patented Aug. 16, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Foundries Company, tion of Illinois Application June 27,

6 Claims.

This invention. relates to a hot water heater especially adapted for use on motor cars, utilizing the hot water from the engine cooling system and having a forced draft of air therethrough secured by means of an electric motor driven fan.

Heaters of the kind mentioned have been mounted on the dash in accordance with my Patent 1,834,674, utilizing the water pipes as supports for the radiator oi the heater. The motor for driving the ion was placed between the dash and the radiator, usually supported also from the water. pipes. However, that arrangement is not satisfactory in certain makes of cars where the dash is so close to the front seats that there would not be enough leg room left in front of the heater ior comfort. Then, too,-that arrangement made.

it unhandy to remove the motor for inspection and repair or replacement. It is accordingly the principal object of my invention to provide a 2 heater having the motor mounted on the opposite side oi the dash, that is, in the engine compartment, whereby to permit placing the radiator oi the heater closer to the dash than would otherwise be possible, and at the same time make the motor easily accessible for removal and replacement, without disturbing .the rest of the heater in any way.

In accordance with my inventioma tubular support rigid with the radiator extends through a so hole in the dash and a shaft mounted therein in a seli-aiigning bearing carries the fan on one end and a coupling having quickly detachable connection with the armature shalt of the motor on the other end, the motor being constructed so that its bell housing has a telescoping fit on the end oi the tubular support and may be fastened thereto detachably with a set screw to permit quick. and easy mounting and dismountlng oi the motor.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l is a section through the dash showing inside elevation aheater made in accordance with my invention mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the tubular support on a larger scale, and

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing a modified or alternative construction.

Similar reference numerals are applied to cor- 50 responding parts throughout the views.

The heater shown in Figure 1 comprises an air heating radiator 4 supported by hot water supply and return pipes 5 and 6 on the dash i of an automobile. The fan 8, driven by the electric 55 motor 0, is disposed, in the open baclc portion of Rockford, Ill., a corpora- 1935, Serial No- 28,608

the sheet metal shroud ill which encloses the back and sides of the core oi the radiator 4. The fan draws air into the space between the radiator 4 and dash I and forces it through the radiator so as to induce circulation of warm air in the car in the well known way. The pipes 5 and 8 are shown provided with nuts ii and i2 threading thereon against opposite sides of the dash 1, whereby to clamp the heater firmly to the dash, the one nut or each pair acting as a lock nut for the other.

In accordance withmy invention, the motor 9 instead of being mounted between'the radiator t and dash l, as in my patent previously mentioned, is carried on a tubular support it rigidly mounted on the radiator on arms it and projecting through a hole it in the dash, whereby to have the motordisposed on the opposite side oi the dash in the engine compartment under the hood, thus enabling the mounting of the radiator t in. closer proidmity to the dash, as shown, and accordingly leaving more leg room tor the front seat passengers. In certain care, this construction old construction, due to the extent oi its projection from the dash, could not be used. This construction, furthermore, locates the motor where it is easily accessible for removal and replacement. a washer it surrounding the tube it and held in place against the inside oi the dash l by the arms it seals the hole it. The arms it are suitably welded to the tube it, as at ii, and have their outer ends flattened, as at it, and suitably spot-welded to the shroud it.

Reierring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the tube it houses a shalt it which has the hub it of the tan d suitably secured to the projecting end thereof. A coupling ii on the other end of the shaft provides a detachable driving connection between the shaft it and the armature shaft it of the motor d. The coupling ii is preferably of molded rubber of tubular form with a transverse partition wall it at the middle. The tubular ends must be spread to receive the ends of the shafts it and it and in that way a good frictional driving connection is secured, the wall it serving by abutment with the end of either shaft in assembling to insure approximately the same length of connection with both shafts. The wall 23 is stretched in the expansion of the tubular ends of the coupling and accordingly makes for a tighter hold of the coupling on both shafts. This wall also reenforces the coupling where the greatest strain is concentrated in the driving of the tan, thus making for durability. The flexibility of the coupling also compensates for enables the use oi this type of heater, whereas, the

till

whatever slight misalignment there may be between the shafts i8 and 22. However, the shaft I9 is mounted in a self-aligning bearing 24 adjacent the fan 8 in the end of the tube I3 remote from the motor 9, whereby to insure proper alignment between the shafts l9 and 22 when coupled. The bearing 24 is in the form of a ball under the action of the spring 28. Another felt washer 3| engages the bearing 24 from the opposite side and is retained by a washer 32 which, in turn, is retained in the end of the tube i3 by the inwardly spun end 33 of the tube.- The motor 9 has a bell housing 34, the hub 35 of which has a telescoping fit with the other end of the tube IS. A set screw 36 in the hub 35 serves to fasten the motor securely and yet permit of quick and easy removal when desired. In the mounting of the motor, the shaft is is held against endwise movement in the tube l3 by a washer 31 which comes into abutment with the washer 30 and is held in place by a split ring 38 that snaps into an annular groove 38 provided in the shaft Hi.

It should be evident from the foregoing description that smooth and quiet operation of the fan is insured even though the motor is in remote relation thereto and has a detachable driving connection therewith, as described. There is no danger of vibration and consequent noise, owing to the fact that the shaft l9 has both a selfaligning bearing 24 and a resilient flexible cou-= pling 2i. Whenever the motor requires any attention as, for example, replacement of brushes, the set screw 36 is simply loosened and the motor can then be removed, and later as easily replaced, without disturbing the rest of the heater in any way.

In Fig. 3, I have shown another heater, the radiator 4 of which is supported on a. tube l3 clamped to the dash T, as at 40. The tube it has arms I4 extending therefrom and secured to the shroud Iii of the radiatorfor support of the latter. In other words, the radiator does not rely for its support upon the water pipes, as in the other heater. For that reason, the hoses 4i and 42 for supply and return of the hot water are simply extended through holes in the dash and attached to the inlet and outlet nipples 43 and 44 of the heater, as by clamps 45. The fan 8 will, of course, be driven by the motor 9 in the same manner 'previously described.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding of the objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims have been drawn with a view to covering all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

I claim:

1. In a heater comprising a radiator adapted to be supported in spaced relation to the dash of an automobile or other vehicle, a fan between the dash and the radiator for causing a forced draft of air through the latter to be heated thereby, and a motor comprising an armature shaft for driving the fan, said motor adapted to be supported on the other side of said dash, a combined radiator, motor, and fan support comprising a tubular member extending through an opening provided in the dash and having said radiator rigidly supported on one end portion thereof and said motor demountably supported on the other end portion on the opposite side of the dash from the radiator, fastening means for securing said tubular member to the dash by its intermediate portion, and a shaft extending through the tubular member and providing a detachable driving connection between the fan and the armature shaft of the motor.

2. In a heater comprising a radiator adapted to be supported in spaced relation to the dash of an automobile or other vehicle, a fan between the dash and the radiator for causing a forced draft of air through the latter to be heated thereby, and a motor comprising an armature shaft for driving the fan, said motor adapted to be supported on the other side of said dash,'a combined radiator, motor, and fan support comprising a tubular member extending through an opening provided in the dash and having said radiator rigidly supported on one end portion thereof and said motor demountably supported on the other end portion on the opposite side of the dash from the radiator, fastening means for securing said tubular member to the dash by its intermediate portion, a shaft fixed to said fan and supported in a tiltable bearing in said tubular member, the shaft extending in said member toward the motor, and means providing a flexible detachable driving connection between the fan shaft and the armature shaft of the motor.

3. In a universally self-aligning rotary shaft bearing structure of the character described, the combination of a rotary shaft adapted to be suitably driven at one end and to carry a driven member on the other end, a tubular member suitably supported having a bore large in diameter relative to said shaft, a bearing block of spheroidal form having an axial hole wherein the intermediate having a sliding fitvwithin the tubular member and providing opposed bearings for the spheroidal bearing block in fore and aft spaced relation, retaining means cooperating with the outer washer to prevent endwise displacement of the bearing block and washer assembly outwardly relative to the tubular member, and spring means yieldingly urging the inner washer outwardly whereby to maintain substantially uniform bearing pressure on the bearing block while permitting tilting movement thereof and corresponding tilting movement of the shaft.

4. A structure as set forth in claim 3, wherein the inner washer has an inturned annular flange providing a substantially flat annular bearing surface on the back thereof, the structure including a washer mounted on the shaft and held against endwise movement relative thereto and adapted to engage said bearing surface to limit endwise movement of'said shaft outwardly relative to the tubular member.

5. A structure as set forth in claim 3, wherein the tubular member has that portion of the bore thereof, wherein the bearing block and washers are mounted enlarged with relation to the rest of the bore, whereby an annular shoulder is defined at the inner end of said enlarged bore, and wherein the spring means urging the inner washer outthereof, wherein the bearing block and washers washer at the other end, said structure further are mounted enlarged with relation to the rest 0! the bore, whereby an annular shoulder is defined at the inner end of said enlarged bore, and wherein the spring means urging the inner washer outwardly comprises acoiled compression spring fitting freely in the enlarged bore and engaging the annular shoulder at one end and the inner washer to limit endwise movement of 'the shaft 5 outwardly relative to the tubular member.

ALBERT H. BATES. 

